Suppliers | Must Read PCNA's headquarters in western Pennsylvania was originally the home of supplier Leed's, which merged with Europe's PF Concept in 2005. Four years later, after the acquisition of Bullet Line and JournalBooks, the company began going to market as PCNA. SUPPLIER NO. 3 PCNA Pride Before Destruction A leader in responsibility, PCNA has shown rare willingness to be in front of the changes our industry must make for long-term success. by Josh Ellis The trouble with publishing any kind of list is that someone is inevitably going to be disappointed. I felt it earlier this year after being told a contact from PCNA had inquired about why the company was left off PPAI Media’s #Online18 list of standout organizations on social media. And I’ll feel it again when the questions come from suppliers who slipped in this year’s PPAI 100 ranking while seeing the same PCNA jump from No. 7 to No. 3. It’s tops among all hard goods suppliers, despite its revenue being down more than $160 million from 2022 to 2023. The difference is found in the strength of PCNA’s sales growth percentage over the specific three-year period that PPAI 100 considers. Its revenue was up 5% from 2019 to 2022, not overwhelming compared to many competitors, which cost it points in the Growth category last year. Because PCNA didn’t chase PPE products in 2020 and 2021, many other suppliers grew at a faster rate. But from the roller coaster that was 2020 up through 2023, sales jumped 34% at PCNA, and it is riding high in Year 2 of this measure of industry leadership, which counts revenue growth over three years as the most important factor second only to the previous year’s total sales. On the flip side, some companies who benefitted from a strong 2019-2022 growth window in the first PPAI 100 came back to Earth this year. As for the #Online18 thing, PCNA’s argument – a strong one – would be that the key function of social media for any company is to bring people to its website and convert sales. And, true enough, the supplier has just picked up PPAI • JUNE 2024 • 37
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==